What We Eat When We Eat Alone: Stories and 100 Recipes by Deborah Madison, Patrick McFarlin

From Barnes & Noble

In numerous books, including Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and Local Flavors, Deborah Madison has instructed readers in the elegant simplicity of meatless meals. In this graceful follow-up, she offers a conversational, recipe-rich tome to those of us who eat alone. In Madison's view, there is nothing melancholy about this solo situation; eating alone can actually restore us and return us to our natural rhythms. Philosophy aside, What We Eat When We Eat Alone features a full quota of diverting stories, each chapter capped by a batch of exquisite vegetarian recipes.

From the Publisher

What do you wat when no one is watching?

From young college students to spry seniors, from empty-nest mothers to men and women with traveling spouses, from bachelors to the many people between relationships, millions of us dine alone every night. But what do we eat? Is it takeout, a frozen dinner, or our favorite gourmet meal?

In What We Eat When We Eat Alone, Deborah Madison and Patrick McFarlin set out to learn what people chew on when there isn't anyone else around. The responses are surprising and far-ranging—food-gone-wild in its most elemental form.

Some solo diners relish the elaborate, while other prefer the bizarre, some eat their favorite foods, some eat what's convenient, and others choose their menus according to their moods.

The book is illustrated with the art of Patrick McFarlin, capturing the flavor of the stories. It also includes great recipes at the end of each chapter for those who dine alone, including tips on making smaller protion meals, and also on using leftovers in different recipes for those who don't want to eat the same dish night after night.

Our relationship with food is one of the defining and intimate relationships of our lives; it says a lot about who we are and how we live. Part cookbook, part memoir, part pure fun, What We Eat When We Eat Alone explores the joys and challenges of eating solo and gives us a glimpse into the lives of everyday people who do.

Publishers Weekly

Veteran cookbook author and food writer Madison (The Greens Cookbook, Local Flavors, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone) looks at what we eat when no one's looking in this charming if overlong study (with recipes). Madison's informal survey of friends, colleagues and complete strangers about what they eat at home doesn't yield many earthshaking findings-men more enjoy familiar staples while women enjoy thinking out their meals, comfort foods predominate, and priority goes to ease of preparation. Many of the exceptions are included among the hundred recipes scattered throughout, including a flank steak stuffed with cremini mushrooms, spinach, bacon and cheese; a shrimp, feta and bulgur wheat salad; and a polenta with blue cheese sauce. Plenty of fare best eaten over the sink is also included, such as sardines on toast or an open-faced cheese and tapenade sandwich. Madison's non-judgmental tone is refreshing and friendly, and recipes are varied enough that any home cook will find something worth adding to the repertoire. Though it can get repetitive--Madison never really reaches any conclusions-readers interested in the dining practices of others will find this a light but satisfying indulgence (not unlike sardines on toast).
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Product Details

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Table of Contents

Read an Excerpt

mushrooms on toast

Toast a piece of levain bread or ciabatta, then cover it with thin slices of aged cheese, such as Gouda, Gruyere, or Manchego. Set the toast on your plate and spoon the sauteed mushrooms (page 164) and their juices over the toast. Sprinkle on the remaining parsley mixture and more pepper.